Energy geo-structures are renewable-energy solutions strongly recommended as mitigation policy tools for facing the issue of global warming. Meanwhile, ongoing climate changes influence society through impacts on cities and structures, potentially affecting their effectiveness and functionalities and requiring assessments regarding adaptation. With that aim, the webinar proposes a novel approach for a specific energy geo-structure (i.e. energy pile) installed in South Italy. Energy piles are foundation elements in concrete integrated with probes in polyethylene. They allow the extraction of geothermal energy from the ground to heat pump systems and contribute to the electrical energy input that is required for heating and cooling a residential or commercial building. Climate change could impact energy piles structural and thermal performance and investigations on whether adaptation measures could be necessary to maintain their functionality are proposed. The results from the thermo-hydro-mechanical model, developed to simulate the behavior of the energy pile in Napoli, are shown. The key points are that (i) future projections of air temperature and ground temperature highlight increases, (ii) future energy demand would change at the end of the century, and (iii) the variations in the behaviour of the energy pile due to climate change on the long-term horizon are mainly governed by the initial temperature of the ground. The outcomes give key insights into the geotechnical performance and thermal exchange, from a climate-change perspective, to support the future development of energy geo-structures and design strategies.
In this webinar, Marianna Adinolfi will present the results of the research on these topics.